Exiled!? Ha! I have An Infinite Space-Chapter 22: NEW MISSION

"Are you clean enough?" Fu Sheng asked, staring at me without blinking.

I nodded softly, already feeling cold.

"I’m done. What about you?"

He didn’t reply. He simply stepped out of the stream and reached for my waist, lifting me up in a bridal style.

His cold, wet palms against my skin made me tingle.

He set me down, and we both quickly put on our clothes, though I still felt a little cold.

I rubbed my shoulders, muttering quietly,

"I’m so cold."

As soon as those words left my lips, my feet suddenly left the ground.

He had lifted me once again.

I didn’t even flinch when he lifted me.

Instead, I looked straight at him, eyes bright with mischief.

"Carrying me now?" I said, a slow smile spreading across my lips. "General Fu, when did you become so thoughtful?"

His jaw tightened.

"You said you were cold."

I leaned closer on purpose, my wet hair brushing against his neck.

"Hmm... maybe I am. Maybe I’m not," I murmured playfully.

His grip on me tightened slightly.

I tilted my head, studying his face.

His expression looked calm, but I could feel the tension in his arms, in the way his breathing wasn’t as steady as before.

"You know," I continued, voice light but teasing, "for someone who said some things are better done alone... you’re not acting very ’alone’ right now."

He shot me a warning look.

"Su Long."

I laughed softly, not scared in the least.

"What? I’m just talking," I said innocently, though my eyes clearly said otherwise.

Fu Sheng looked ahead again, trying to keep his composure, but I could see it clearly now.

And that only made me want to tease him more.

I leaned closer in his arms, smiling in a way that was clearly trouble.

"General Fu," I said softly, dragging out the words, "your heart is beating kind of fast... are you nervous?"

His jaw tightened.

"I just came out of cold water," he replied flatly.

I tilted my head, pretending to think.

"Ohhh? So your ears turning red is also because of the cold?"

He shot me a warning look.

"Su Long."

I grinned wider.

"What? I’m your wife. If I don’t look at you, who will?"

He inhaled slowly, like he was counting inside his head.

I leaned even closer, whispering near his ear,

"You said some things are better done alone... but now you’re carrying me like this. Which one is the truth, hmm?"

His steps slowed.

"Stop talking," he muttered.

I gasped dramatically.

"You’re telling your wife to be quiet? How heartless!"

His brows twitched.

"Su. Long."

I laughed.

"Say my name again like that... it sounds nice when you’re trying to endure."

That was it.

He rolled his eyes in frustration and suddenly lowered me to the ground.

"Hey!" I complained loudly. "You can’t just put me down like that! Where are your manners?"

He didn’t even look at me. He just walked toward his clothes, face stiff.

I crossed my arms and shouted after him,

"Ungentlemanly! Truly ungentlemanly behavior!"

No response.

I huffed.

"Fine! I didn’t even want to be carried anyway!"

Still nothing.

I turned back toward the stream, muttering,

"So cold and hard to tease... but still so easy to bully."

When I turned around again after rinsing my feet—

He was gone.

I blinked, then burst into a small laugh.

"Hah... he ran away."

I shook my head, smiling to myself.

"What a shy child..."

I turned, ready to run after him, my feet already moving—

Then a faint light flashed in front of my eyes.

I stopped immediately.

A familiar transparent screen appeared in the air.

I let out a long sigh and placed a hand on my hip.

"Took you long enough to come."

The screen flickered, then words slowly appeared.

[Host Su Long, good evening.]

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered. "You always come when I’m busy."

More words appeared.

[Congratulations, Host. You have received a new mission.]

I blinked.

"A mission again? Already?"

The next line appeared, and my relaxed expression slowly disappeared.

[Main Mission: Break up the Fu Family.]

I froze.

"...What?"

More words followed.

[Time Limit: 24 hours.]

[Mission Reward: Mind Reading Skill.]

My mouth fell open.

"Mind reading... skill?" I repeated in shock.

[Yes, Host.]

I frowned, confused.

"Wait. Aren’t rewards supposed to be things I can store in my space? Since when are skills also given as rewards?"

The screen responded almost immediately.

[Host has successfully completed all previous missions with high performance.]

[The System will provide whatever the Host needs for survival — provisions, weapons, and skills.]

[The Mind Reading Skill will help the Host greatly in future missions.]

I slowly nodded, though my mind was still spinning.

"I see..."

So it wasn’t just items anymore.

Now it was abilities too.

That meant the missions would only get harder from here.

I looked back in the direction Fu Sheng had left, my expression turning thoughtful.

"Break up the Fu family in 24 hours..." I murmured.

That was not a small task.

The screen flashed again.

[System wishes Host good luck.]

[Reminder: Do not forget daily check-in.]

"Yeah, yeah. I know," I waved lazily.

The screen flickered once... then disappeared.

The night felt quiet again, like nothing had happened.

I stood there for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Mind reading, huh..."

My eyes curved with interest.

"General Fu... looks like I’ll be understanding you a lot better soon."